







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| No, it doesn't look clean, do you want me to clean it? | |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not a big problem for him. | |
| Are you the only smoker in the house? | |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | |
| There is one at 11:00 and the next one is at 11:20. | |
| Do we have any bread to toast? | |
| Hi, is your cat okay? | |
| That's very interesting! | |
| What line is it on? | |
| So Pogo gets on very well with dogs. | |
| It's a kind of welcoming party for her. | |
| It's impossible for me to commute from zone-9 to 1 everyday. | |
| They're there, under the duvet. | |
| Yeah, that's a good idea. | |
| That's nice, I like the music and the lyrics. | |
| It's not a big deal but it's quite an important thing to mention. | |
| I'm hungry, but it's better to have something when we meet the guys. | |
| How are you? | |
| I like girls' nights out. | |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | |